Name: The Skill You're Slowly Losing
Uploaded: 2025-11-30T08:40:43.000Z
Duration: 10 min
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The Internet is an instant answer machine.

Whenever you have a question, all you need to do to get an answer is to bring up Google on your computer or to pull out your phone.

Or if you're feeling particularly lazy, ask one of the many voice assistants that are.

Have you tried not being literally the laziest piece of crap in the world, but

out here on this frozen lake, there is no service.

Which means that if I run into a problem or if I come across something that I don't know, the only thing I have to rely on is the bundle of neurons up in my cranium, which, to be honest, contains a vastly more limited set of answers and knowledge than I'll find on the Internet.

See, when I was taking calculus in the 10th grade, I developed a bad habit of sorts.

So I would often go to the commons area of the math department to get help from the professors in the mornings.

And at some point I realized that they left the instructor's edition of the textbook, which had all the answers in the back, just out on the table in that commons area.

So naturally, I started going to the commons area at 6am to do all of my homework, and

a pattern started to develop where I would get stuck on a calculus problem, get stuck on some part of a derivative or something, and

then I would eventually go to the back of the book to get the answer, I had this threshold where I became mentally lazy and went for those answers.

And because the book was right in front of me and I had access to those answers all the time, over time, my threshold for giving up lowered and lowered and lowered.

And in recent years, I've seen this pattern emerge on a larger scale and a more general scale with regards to that magical answer machine that you're using to watch this video right now.

For all its benefits, the Internet can encourage the formation of habits that make us mentally lazy.

And this isn't just an anecdotal observation either.

For example, a study done at Harvard in 2011 found that when people are faced with difficult questions, they're now more primed to think about computers.

And it also found that when they expect to have future access to information, they have Lower rates of recall for the information itself and recall for where they can access it.

Essentially, we start to perceive the Internet as a true extension to our brain's memory banks.

And more recent research has found that the more we use the Internet to answer questions, the more quickly we turn to it in the future.

Cognitive offloading begets more cognitive offloading.

And this is congruent with the habits we form around other effort saving technologies like washing machines and cars.

And some people would say that's okay, that it's no different than how we moved away from specializing in oral memorization when the printing press was invented.

And well, we didn't really lose much in that transition.

The problem with the Internet is that we don't seem to limit our mental outsourcing to simple facts.

Our critical thinking abilities are affected as well.

Take the case of Terry Hike, who was an English teacher who asked students the question, how do modern novels represent the characteristics of.

And don't worry, I'm not going to quiz you on this question later on.

But the question was meant to challenge the student's critical thinking skills.

And instead of thinking independently about the question like he wanted them to, Haik found that they immediately started to Google it.

The effort saving technology was so close at hand that it had become the default problem solving method for his students.

And this example is typical of our behavior as a whole.

Unless we consciously work against it, our brains naturally want to take the path of least resistance.

When I was in college, the closest I could park my car was about half a mile from my dorm, which meant that I basically never used it.

Instead, I just walked everywhere or sometimes grabbed my skateboard or rode my bike.

But now that it sits here in my garage, well, I have to make a conscious, disciplined effort not to use it.

And make no mistake, it's worth making that effort.

Every time I choose not to drive, I get exercise.

I spend more time truly connected with my surroundings, and I don't contribute to traffic and pollution.

But at the same time, without my car, I wouldn't be able to get to many of the places that I really want to go.

The Internet presents us with the exact same dilemma.

While there are very real benefits to curbing the amount of cognitive offloading we unconsciously do, the access to knowledge and the ability to get instant answers are both incredibly useful.

How do you allow yourself to use this tool while also retaining your critical thinking skills?

This is incredibly important to consider given the fact that sometimes we're going to encounter problems where the Internet simply can't help us, and

other times we're going to be in places where we don't have access to the Internet.

So here's a simple solution to this problem.

When you're confronted with a question that you don't know the answer to, or you're stuck on a problem, ask yourself, do I have even a shred of confidence that I could solve this on my own?

If the answer to that question is yes, then challenge yourself to work on the problem for a few minutes on your own before running to Google.

A friend of mine works at a company where they've actually codified a very similar idea into something they call the 15 minute rule.

When anyone at the company finds themselves stuck on a problem to the point where they feel like they need help, or the first thing they have to do is spend 15 more minutes trying to solve it, while also documenting the things they try.

And this documentation process is actually quite helpful as it causes them to think about the problem from a different perspective, which often helps them solve the problem on their own.

But if they're still stuck after 15 minutes, that's when they must ask for help.

And this rule helps everyone to strike a balance.

They stay in the habit of thinking independently, but

no one wastes too much time banging their heads against problems they're truly stuck on.

And I think that this is a great way to achieve balance in the way that you use the Internet, because you don't want to lose the capabilities that it gives you.

But you also want to retain your own ability and your instinct to solve problems on your own, to use your brain and to be able to put it to work.

And the only way you're going to do that is if you frequently put it to work.

In his book Atomic Habits, the author James Clear talks about how our habits are basically how we embody our identities.

One example he gives is that if you make your bed every day, you are embodying the identity of a person who is cleanly and organized.

And the decisions that we make, the behavior that we exhibit on a daily basis, stems largely from our identities.

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

No single instance will transform your beliefs.

But as the votes build up, so too does the evidence of your new identity.

So what identity do you want to build Are you okay with being the mentally lazy person who outsources everything to the machines?

Or will you be the independent problem solver for whom the Internet is simply one useful tool?

All right, I am back into civilization and, well now back dealing with all the problems that come along with civilization.

Now, if you want to become a truly creative problem solver, you do need to spend time trying to independently solve problems like we just talked about.

But you also need good problems to sink your teeth into.

And if you're looking for a resource that will give you those great problems, along with the ability to expand your knowledge base in the areas of math, science and computer science, then you should check out Brilliant.

Because in their library of more than 60 in depth courses, you are going to find tons of material that helps you to actively become a better problem solver and actively learn things like calculus, like number theory, like gravitational physics, Python programming, and

They even have a course on how search engines work.

So if you've ever been curious about how Google instantaneously serves you search results, then that is a great course to take.

The best thing about Brilliant though, is that every single one of their courses is built with the principle of active learning in mind.

So you're not just going to be sitting there and taking videos or reading text.

There are code writing challenges, story writing challenges, quizzes.

You get to really interact with the information and that helps you learn more efficiently and stay more interested for longer while you're learning.

And in addition to that library of courses, Brilliant also has a feature called Daily Challenges, where every single day you can log in and get a brand new challenge to number one, one, make learning and problem solving a daily habit.

Maybe sink your teeth into something that you haven't really considered before.

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The Skill You're Slowly Losing

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